This study compares two initiatives for preparing science teachers for careers in high-need schools, each using a distinct, locally adaptive approach. One university adopted an immersive, naturalistic strategy, with modified field placements that gave preservice teachers protracted experiences in high need classrooms. The other university provided supplemental field experiences in high-need schools, coupled with explicit exercises to provoke reflection, cultural self-awareness, and cross-cultural consciousness and commitment. Participants graduated from both programs with high, heightened self-efficacy with respect to their cultural competence, as revealed by quantitative instruments. However, they followed divergent pathways in getting there, with those immersed in high-need classrooms exhibiting a midstream dip in confidence and cultural responsiveness, followed by a dramatic ascent; while those undergoing supplemental field experiences and reflective exercises exhibited no such dip, instead growing gradually. Analyses of pre, mid, and post interviews shed light on these divergent trends. Although many practical challenges make it difficult for teacher education programs to provide preservice teachers with clinical experiences in high-need schools, it may be essential to their future success in such settings.